TLDRs;
- Pavel Durov accuses French intelligence of pressuring Telegram to censor Moldovan opposition before 2024 elections.
- He says agents offered favorable treatment in exchange for removing politically inconvenient Telegram channels.
- Telegram removed only rule-breaking accounts, refusing to suppress legitimate political voices in Moldova.
- France rejects Durov’s claims, dismissing them as repeated accusations made during ongoing Eastern European elections.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused French intelligence of attempting to pressure him into political censorship while he was detained in Paris last year.
In a statement posted Sunday on X, the Russian-born entrepreneur alleged that French officials, acting through an intermediary, urged him to take down certain Moldovan Telegram channels ahead of the country’s 2024 presidential elections.
According to Durov, the request was framed as part of a deal. If Telegram cooperated, the French intelligence services would “say good things” to the judge presiding over his arrest. Durov called this arrangement “unacceptable on several levels,” arguing that it either amounted to interference in France’s judicial system or an exploitative ploy to manipulate his legal troubles for geopolitical ends.
Moldova Elections Under Scrutiny
Moldova’s presidential vote, held on October 20, 2024, saw incumbent Maia Sandu secure reelection after a November runoff. Durov said French agents asked him to suppress channels that allegedly threatened Moldovan stability, but he stressed that Telegram only removed accounts that had clearly violated platform rules.
A second list soon followed, however. Unlike the first, this list contained channels that were fully compliant with Telegram’s policies yet voiced political opinions unwelcome in Chisinau and Paris. Durov said his team refused to remove them, reiterating that Telegram “will not take down content for political reasons.”
The claims highlight growing concerns about foreign interference in Eastern European politics and the use of digital platforms as battlegrounds for influence.
French Government Pushes Back
France’s Foreign Ministry quickly dismissed the allegations. Through its official X account, it mocked Durov’s claims, saying, “After Romania, Moldova. Durov likes making accusations while elections are ongoing.”
The response referred to similar charges Durov made during Romania’s presidential election earlier this year, when he alleged coordinated attempts at political censorship.
French authorities have maintained that their case against Durov has nothing to do with politics. He was arrested in August 2024 at a Paris airport and charged with complicity in spreading child exploitation imagery, drug trafficking, and other crimes linked to Telegram’s user base. Durov, however, insists the accusations are “legally and logically absurd.” He was released on bail the same day but remains under judicial supervision.
Free Speech at the Core
Durov’s latest accusations come as Moldova prepares for a parliamentary vote that President Sandu has described as “the most consequential” in the nation’s history, with implications for its European Union membership bid.
Meanwhile, Durov continues to portray himself as a staunch defender of digital freedoms. Just last month, he said he would “rather die” than hand over private user data to governments, underscoring Telegram’s firm stance on encryption and privacy.
Founded in 2013, Telegram now counts roughly one billion active users and has become a central platform in global politics, activism, and even armed conflicts. Critics, however, argue that its hands-off approach to moderation has also allowed harmful content to spread unchecked
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